The Council will be discussing the future of the Bridgeway Public Pier on Tuesday, October 22 - We’d like to know what you think!

Discussion on the Future of the Pier

Earlier this year, the City received a $160,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to repair the public pier near the Trident Restaurant. The grant was part of the Cosco-Busan oil spill settlement. A condition of the grant is that the construction be completed by the end of January, 2014. Once the grant was received, the City hired a design firm to draw up plans to make the pier accessible once again. On October 16, the Planning Commission directed staff to return at the October 30 Planning Commission meeting with a resolution deny the request by the City to rehabilitate the fishing pier.

The City Council will discuss next steps this Tuesday, October 22. Options for the Council to consider include:

Abandoning the project, which will result in the City being responsible for design fees which were to be paid for by the grant.

Appealing the Planning Commission decision, and moving forward with current design.

Requesting an extension from the Grant Administrator, and if granted,developing a new design.

Removing the remains of the damaged pier at the City’s expense and not rebuild (the City would be responsible for design fees which were to be paid for by the grant).

To have your viewpoint heard, please join us at the City Council meeting this Tuesday, October 22. The meeting begins at 7pm. The item is 6B: see the staff report and agenda here. You can also state your opinion online from the link above to our website and make your comment through our newest forum which allows every and anyone to state their opinion and be a part of the public record. Just click on the e-comment and state your opinion.

Pier History: The City is engaged in a process to rehabilitate a damaged public pier near the Trident Restaurant to restore public access and fishing opportunities. The pier has been a part of the City as early as 1933 and has been historically used as a fishing pier. The exact date of when the pier was installed is not known, although historical photographs indicate that the pier was built somewhere between 1933 and 1936. The pier was closed to public access in 2001 due to damage caused by the storm of January 11, 2001. Currently, the only remnants of the pier which remain are twenty-one pilings and the pier framing. The pier is in need of major rehabilitation.

Funding Source for Rehabilitation:The City has received a grant to rebuild the pier. As a part of a 2011 settlement with the owner and operating companies of the Cosco Busan cargo ship (which after colliding with the Bay Bridge dumped bunker fuel into the bay in 2007), grant monies were made available for certain projects and the City received a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to repair the public pier. On July 9, 2013 the City Council accepted the Cosco-Busan settlement grant funding for and initiating project design for the rehabilitation of the pier. A condition of the grant is that the construction be completed by the end of January 2014.

Approval Process: The Planning Commission held a public hearing onOctober 16 to review a request by the City for approval to rehabilitate the fishing pier for use as a public access point and for shore-based recreational fishing. The project consists of replacing decking and railing and the extension of pilings in the same location as the existing pier. The existing height of the decking would be raised by 3-1/2 feet to comply with the Sausalito Municipal code for non-residential structures in coastal high hazard areas. There would also be the installation of an accessible ramp and staircase. The existing pathway which leads from the existing wooden deck to the shoreline walkway paralleling Bridgeway would be replaced with an accessible ramp. Story poles were installed on October 2, 2013 which depict the width, length and height of the new pier. Note that the story poles show the tops of the new railings. A rendering of the pier has also been posted at the project site to help visual the project. The Planning Commission voted 5:0 to have staff return at the October 30 Planning Commission meeting to deny the request. See the Planning Commission staff report and video from the meeting here (item 2).